Anyone have any examples of character defects and how you worked through them or are handling them?
I do not have any
Sorry: to much coffee makes me say this
One of my character defects is perfectionist. I’m hard for myself and for others as well. I’m working on that by counting to 10 before being critical and thinking over what I want to say and how. Most of the time I discover it’s to minor to mention. I also try to give myself a compliment each day. I find it not easy to be more satisfied about others and myself It’s work in progress.
I am the same as @SoberWalker I am trying really hard to not be a perfectionist as it isn’t good for the children to grow up in that environment. It also means I have been an underachiever up until recently as I didn’t want to leave my comfort zone and take any risks.
I am also a control freak who has anxiety, a nightmare combination for a parent I have recently seen how much I modified my own behaviour to make my Mum happy and not worried, and don’t want my kids to grow up like that. It means waving them off and dealing with my own anxiety, but best for them.
God, even writing that makes me sound smug. I often find people don’t like me, and that I come across as superior. I don’t know how to change that!
I drank wine to handle these emotions but finding other strategies now.
Embrace them - it’s our flaws that make us unique! Recognizing that something may come across as challenging or rough for another person, you can address it ie. I can come across as condescending - so I think carefully about what I say and how I’m going to say it.
But everyone has flaws and everyone is a work in progress
My character defect is that each time I become aware of one and I think I have solved it another one slaps me in the face.
Anger, resentments, fear and jealousy just to name a few. Just when I think I have them under control, they rare their ugly heads. At least I’m at a point that I can recognize them more easily when they do surface. I’ll be working on them for the rest of my life. Progress not perfection.
What do you mean “character defect”?
I used to have a long list of character defects that I thought were the cause of all my problems and if I only fixed them then everything would be better. But instead I’ve mostly found that they aren’t “defects” they are just who I am and instead I’m learning to work with them and if other people don’t like me because of it then they can move on. I am who I am and I’m not going to change to fit someone else’s idea of who I should be.
But if we’re talking about things that can harm other people, well then maybe you can work on those.
Not sure if it’s a character defect but definitely something I work on daily. I used to made to feel embarrassed for expressing emotions and laughed at by family growing up.
So when my kids express something I listen. But does make it hard at times cause I struggle with big emotions. Something I have to practice daily because my initial reaction is always to shut it down.
A character flaw iv kinda accepted as who iam… I’m terrible keeping a connection with friends. I can’t maintain friendships. I’m happy smiley chatty all the right things but I can’t take on the mental load of talking and texting all the time. I can’t seem to balance it and people drift off because I don’t think I’m a very consistent person! Lol iv learnt to be happy with my own company these days to avoid dispointing people lol x
Better done than Perfct
Insecurity, over inflated ego, selfishness to Nat me a few.
I got a sponsor and worked the steps. When I got to step 6 I read “Drop the Rock” and became willing to let my higher power take my defects. Step 7 I started working to remove them. I try my best to remain willing to have them be removed but I’m not perfect. Sometimes I am still served by my character defects and then come back. But when the pain of having them come back becomes great enough I become willing to work on them again.
I would include things that harm ourselves or hold us back, as well.
I just know for a fact that when I come to do my step 6, these are going to be heading the list on mine.
Something I tussle with a lot is not being able to let things go.
Insecurity, situational narrow mindedness, self-centered, rage. Each worked on daily but initially assisted by my sponsor working steps 4-10.
Like a proper alcoholic lol. We are pretty much all the same
Selfish, greedy, liar, immature, lack of common sense, insecure, too sensitive, prideful, low self esteem, some narrsasistic tendencies… you might wonder, how can you have low self esteem and be narcasistic? Me and my sister somehow pull off this trick. These are a few that have held me back for decades. How am i dealing with this? Cognitive behavior therapy, podcast, Journaling, prayer. It’s an ongoing battle. I try to work on my issues daily.